Contents

Biography

History

While Meliorn was born to one human and one faerie parent,[1] he had a powerful faerie parent and had spent most of his life in the Faerie. Because of this, Meliorn grew up with stronger faerie qualities and aspects than many half-faeries.[2] Additionally, being half-faerie also gave him the ability to lie—something pure-blood fey are unable to do.

The time differential of their land also allowed him to live longer than most humans. In the 1870s, Meliorn was in London and had encounters with the ShadowhunterWill Herondale. Will had called him a pointy-eared layabout, and he tried to knock Will's teeth out in retaliation. Before Will could enact his revenge, Meliorn emigrated to America because, according to Charlotte Branwell, Meliorn had many enemies in London.[3]

At one point, Meliorn had a brief fling with Isabelle Lightwood. Aware of this relationship, the Queen had him pass on a message to request an audience with the Shadowhunters of the New York Institute. Meliorn received the group upon their arrival at the Faerie and turned Izzy away when she hugged him.[4]

Mortal War

Months later, at the Accords Hall in Alicante, Luke and Jocelyn demonstrated the effects of the Alliance rune to a disbelieving Meliorn, who was worried that the rune would kill him and other Downworlders just as ordinary runes from the Gray Book always do. When he found out that the vampires, whom he seemed to hold in high regard, weren't participating in the battle against Valentine, Meliorn expressed his hesitation in being involved without them.

Due to his ability to lie—something the Nephilim were unaware half-faeries were capable of—the Seelie Queen wanted Meliorn to be the representative of their kind at the New Council and even personally asked Clary to convince Luke to make it happen. Though Clary refused to help, Meliorn ultimately won the seat anyway.[5][1]

Dark War

Some weeks later, Meliorn began meeting with Sebastian in Prague, on orders of the Seelie Queen. He vowed, on behalf of the Seelie Queen, that the faeries would support Sebastian's cause.[6]

During the peak of Sebastian's attacks on Institutes, the Nephilim began evacuating to Idris. Meliorn met with the Queen, who had been sleeping with Sebastian, in her quarters to inform her of the Dark Shadowhunters who were readily situated at their fortress in Edom and to report to her their status with the Nephilim. He also told Sebastian that they need to take another Institute, which Sebastian ultimately decided would be the one in London.

After Mark Blackthorn was taken from the Los Angeles Institute, Meliorn tortured him to get him to drink their food. After weeks with Mark still refusing to eat and become one of the Wild Hunt, Meliorn lied to him—something Mark did not realize Meliorn was capable of—and told him that his whole family was dead and thus had nothing to return to in his human life.

On the request of the Seelie Queen, Meliorn hosted a meal with the other Downworld Council representatives. He drugged their wine and food, which sedated and weakened them to the point where they were then captured by the Endarkened and taken to Sebastian's fortress in Edom.

Robert Lightwood, the Inquisitor, assured the Clave and Council that Meliorn had sworn up and down that the Fair Folk were loyal to the Shadowhunters' cause, and since the Shadowhunters were under the impression that the fey couldn't lie, they trusted his word. This was in fact untrue, because since he was only half-faerie, he was capable of lying, a fact the Queen decided to use to her advantage and placed him on the seat for that very reason.

Meliorn returned to Faerie from Edom with pitch on his boots so he could talk to his Queen about the Downworld prisoners. He heard Alec's sharp breath when Magnus was mentioned, alerting him to their presence, and forcing the Shadowhunters to attack to defend themselves. Alec Lightwood tried to interrogate Meliorn on the whereabouts and condition of Magnus and the other Downworlder hostages by shooting him in the leg, but when he was reminded that Meliorn can still lie, Alec angrily shot him in the chest, killing him.[1]

Personality and traits

Meliorn was, in the manner of many faeries, stiff and formal around most, and, due to his long life, often spoke and acted in an old-fashioned or outdated way. He acted usually with courtesy, even to enemies, and was unquestioningly loyal to the Seelie Queen. He was also more blatantly deceptive than other faeries, due to having the ability to lie. He also seemed awkward with public displays of affection, though he was not above relationships with a mortal, such as Isabelle Lightwood.

Physical description

Meliorn had long, black hair and leaf-green eyes. As a faerie knight, he always wore white armor with a design of overlapping scales. He also possessed a leaf-shaped mark on one cheek.